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Introduction

Riviere—Rapho/Photo Researchers

The railroad is a form of land transportation that is found in almost every country in the world. Railroads serve many thousands of communities, from big cities in highly developed nations to tiny villages in remote areas. Railroads carry travelers to and from neighboring communities or on trips across whole continents. They carry raw materials and farm products to manufacturing and processing plants, and they carry the finished products from those plants to warehouses…

First Use of Locomotives

Railroads Cross the Continent

Development of Modern American Railroads

Building a Railroad

From Wooden to Steel Track

Developing Better Locomotives

Passenger and Fast-Freight Equipment

Use of Electric Power

Operating Cars in Trains

Operating Many Trains at Once

Classification, or Marshaling, Yards

Passenger and Freight Cars

Railroad Organization and Regulation

Railroad Modernization

Additional Reading

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